Zoji La (sometimes Zojila Pass) is a high mountain pass in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

s. It is in the Indian Union territory of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

, Kargil district, Kashmir. Located in the Drass, the pass connects the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range a ...

to its west, with the Drass and Suru valleys to its northeast and the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kash ...

valley further east. National Highway #1 running between Srinagar and

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range, traverses the pass. As of late 2022, the all-weather Zoji-la Tunnel is under construction to mitigate seasonal road blockages due to heavy snowfall.

Etymology

According to some sources, ''Zoji La'' means the "mountain pass of blizzards".Zojila Battle of 1948—When Indians Surprised Pakistan with Tanks at 11,553 ft
The Print; 1 November 2019; article; accessed ??? The word for blizzards, however, is བུ་ཡུག་ (''wylie bu-yug''). Based on oral tradition that survived among the local people, Zoji refers to Du-Zhi-la, the goddess of Tibet’s four seasons. The '' Du-Zhi-lha-mo legend'' (དུས་བཞི་ལྷ་མོ ) describes her as the wife of

Naropa Nāropā ( Prakrit; sa, Nāropāda, Naḍapāda or Abhayakirti) or Abhayakirti was an Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. As an Indian Mahasiddha, Nar ...

. Through the ages, her name has evolved to Zojila. The pass is also referred to as "Zojila Pass", which is a

misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name ...

. The word "pass" is redundant because the suffix "La/Lah" itself means a mountain pass in Tibetan,

Ladakhi Ladakhi can mean: * of, from, or related to Ladakh, a union territory in northern India * Ladakhi language, the Tibetic language spoken there * Ladakhis Ladakhis or Ladakhi people or Ladakspa are an ethnic group and first-language speakers of ...

, and several other languages that are spoken in the Himalayan region.Other examples of this use of "''La / Lah''" are

Nathu La Nathu La (, ) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal in Bengal, South Asia. The pass, at , connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok ...

(on the Sikkim–

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

border), Baralacha La (on the

Leh–Manali Highway The Leh–Manali Highway is a long highway in northernmost India connecting Leh, the capital of the Union Territory of Ladakh, to Manali in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It connects the Manali Solang valley to the Lahaul and Spiti valleys ...

), Khardung La, Fotu La, Namika La and Pensi La, to name only a few.

Location

Zoji La is about 100 km from Srinagar, the capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and 15 km from Sonmarg. It provides a vital link between Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley. It runs at an elevation of approximately , and is the second-highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar–Leh National Highway. It is often closed during winter, though the

Border Roads Organisation The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring ...

(BRO) is working to extend traffic to longer periods in winter. The Beacon Force unit and The Vijayak Force unit of the BRO are responsible for the clearing and maintenance of the road during winter. Driving through the pass in winter means driving between thick walls of ice on both sides.

History

First Kashmir War

During the

First Kashmir War First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, Zoji La was seized by Gilgit rebels in 1948 in their campaign to capture

. The pass was recaptured by Indian forces on 1 November in an assault codenamed

Operation Bison Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, which achieved its objective primarily due to the surprising use of tanks by Indian forces. At the time, this was the highest altitude at which tanks had operated in a combat situation in the world.

Zoji La tunnel

The Zoji-la Tunnel project was approved by the government in January 2018. Construction was inaugurated by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the List of Prime Ministers of India, 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the List of chief ministers of Gujarat, Chief Minist ...

in May 2018. The 14 km long tunnel will reduce the time to cross the Zoji La from over 3 hours to just 15 minutes. The initial cost of the tunnel is . When completed, it will be the longest bidirectional tunnel in Asia.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Mountain passes of the Himalayas Geography of Ladakh